The pharmaceutical industry is approaching a “patent cliff” whereby the strong market
position it currently holds is set to decline over the coming few years.
The majority of drugs that were approved for use recently have been researched and
developed not by “big Pharma” but by the smaller pharmaceutical companies.
Drugs are given a clinical score by health professionals who generally will see a
person with a given condition as a number rather than a human being.
Health professionals may generate a prescription for a medication against its considered
efficacy as opposed to its proven efficacy.
An often neglected point is whether a particular medication, whose clinical trials
score apparently show improvements, will actually assist in improving a persons “quality
of life”.
Improved clinical trial parameter scores should be set against whether the use of
the medication will add to the persons quality of life. That is for them to actually
be “feeling better”.
Medical research - Although needed and in many cases it is important, but how much
of it is important and how much of it is pointless?
We are constantly being inundated with the word “wonder drug”. Nearly every week
the word is touted throughout the media.
Millions and millions of pounds is dedicated to researching for miracle cures, constantly
raising hopes amongst millions of sufferers, only for their hopes to be dashed.
Annually billions of pounds is spent on medical research of which most is provided,
directly or indirectly, by the tax payer.
Very little of this money is dedicated to research into Quality of Life support such
as:
Respite
Rehabilitation Centres
Science led studies into popular complementary therapies to discover what benefits
they might provide
Long term effects of modifying drugs, especially when they are used in combinations
Asking and listening to people who have chronic conditions.
A varied group of chronic conditions that involve almost every human organ system
which includes:
The Nervous System
The Gastrointestinal System
The Endocrine System
The Skin
The Connective Tissue
The Eyes
The Blood
The Blood Vessels
Unlike cancer, which is an umbrella category for a range of diseases, auto-immunity
has yet to be embraced by the medical community, and the public, as a category of
diseases.
Autoimmune Diseases cross the different medical specialities such as:
Rheumatology
Endocrinology
Haematology
Neurology
Cardiology
Gastroenterology
Dermatology
Because these specialities usually focus on chronic conditions within their particular
category, there has been virtually no general focus on auto-immunity as the underlying
cause.
Even though there is some universally accepted knowledge about auto-immunity its
victims, mostly women - have suffered from a lack of focus and a scattered research
approach.
